Shirtless Man Accused Of Randomly Attacking Four People In Manhattan

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police are searching for a man accused of randomly attacking four people on the streets of Manhattan.

Police said the suspect struck three times on Aug. 14.

At least one of the incidents is being investigated as a hate crime.

Police are searching for a man accused of randomly attacking four people on the streets of Manhattan. (Credit: NYPD)

Just after 11 p.m., he allegedly hit a 58-year-old man in the face while yelling anti-white comments along Eighth Avenue and 19th Street in Chelsea. The victim suffered a bloody nose.

“He was super bloody. He wearing a white shirt. There were all these cops. He just looked, like, shocked. It was so scary. We’re walking around here all the time, and you just feel unsafe,” Chelsea resident Nico Victorino said.

A few hours earlier, the suspect allegedly threw a brick at a 20-year-old woman, hitting her in the back of the head, near Canal and West Broadway. The victim was treated at the scene.

A man who works nearby told CBS2 he has seen the suspect causing trouble.

“He was knocking down my garbage cans. He was cursing people out, spitting at people in the street,” he said.

An hour before that, he allegedly used a stick to hit a 64-year-old woman across the neck and shoulder at Greenwich and Eighth Avenue. She was treated for minor injuries.

Police said the same suspect also pushed a 56-year-old man to the ground in Greenwich Village on Aug. 9. That victim was treated for head injuries at a local hospital.

“I think it’s crazy and ridiculous. I mean, we just moved to this neighborhood, so it’s really frightening to know that that’s happening,” neighbor Corey Ogle said.

“I think that the police needs to have more of a hold on that,” another man said.

Investigators believe all four attacks were unprovoked.

Now, they’re trying to track down the suspect before he strikes again.

Anyone with information about the crime spree is asked to call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.

Police say anyone who spots the suspect should stay clear of him and call authorities immediately.